[24.02.2ÎÎ4] Jalal-Abad militiamen accused of torturing suspects

The law-enforcement bodies in Kyrgyzstan must stop inflicting tortures and unusual and humiliating punishments towards prisoners and those detained for investigation, the Freedom House stated today after receiving complains from six individuals in Jalal-Abad. According to the complaints, Jalal-Abad militiamen broke into a house during Moslem prayer and physically assaulted those participating in the Islamic service. One of the detainees confessed at the police station he was a member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir Islamic group. The executive director of the Freedom House Jennifer Windsor claimed that any type of tortures, whether politically or religiously motivated, is inadmissible. Windsor also called on the Kyrgyz government to investigate the complaints on tortures and bring the guilty persons to justice. Kyrgyzstan has to fulfill its pledges in accordance with the Convention Against Torture and Humiliating Treatment, Windsor said.